Bengaluru FC will be looking to secure their first win in Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2020-21 when they face Hyderabad FC at the Fatorda Stadium on Saturday. The Blues drew their opening game of the season against FC Goa and will be eager to get their first win of the campaign against a Hyderabad side that was victorious in their opener against Odisha FC.

The two games between the clubs last season ended in a draw and a Bengaluru win as three goals were scored over the course of those encounters. Goals may prove difficult to come by in Saturday’s clash between the two sides as well, especially when you realize that the two first-choice custodians Subrata Paul and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu have 27 and 25 clean sheets respectively, making them the two leading goalkeepers for shut-outs in the league.

The Blues, though, will fancy their chances and will be hoping that their frontline clicks against Hyderabad. Cleiton Silva scored a goal for Bengaluru on his debut for the club, but head coach Carles Cuadrat will want more from the likes of Kristian Opseth and Sunil Chhetri.

Their wide players Ashique Kuruniyan and Udanta Singh will also be keen on putting in better performances after being quiet for large parts in their last outing. Their three-man defence of Juanan, Harmanjot Khabra and Francisco Gonzalez will be eager to keep things tighter at the back as well having conceded twice in quick succession against Goa. Erik Paartalu and Dimas Delgado, who started Bengaluru’s last match on the bench, will also all need to be at their best and contribute in the attacking as well as defensive third.

“We are doing our work and training hard. We have a calendar that let us rest for six days to prepare for the game so it’s good. We know we are doing a lot of things to get the three points and we were very close [in the last game]. We had some chances to make the scoreline even bigger but unfortunately, we were in a circumstance where players weren’t ready for 90 minutes,” Cuadrat said in the pre-match press conference.

Hyderabad, on the other hand, will head into the game with confidence having won their season opener. They looked assured in defence with a backline featuring Odei Onaindia, Joao Victor, Asish Rai and Akash Mishra. The inclusion of Adil Khan, who was a late substitute in Hyderabad’s last match, could be a further boost defensively.

In midfield, Lluis Sastre will entrusted with making things happen after the Spaniard’s promising debut for Hyderabad that saw him create six chances for his team – the joint most by a player in the match. Halicharan Narzary and Nikhil Poojary will also be hoping to make their presence felt from midfield, while skipper Aridane Santana will be spearheading their frontline as he looks to continue his goal-scoring exploits having netted on his Hyderabad debut. Liston Colaco is another attack-minded player. He made a big impact from the bench in the last match and will be hoping to kick on against Bengaluru.

“We gained a lot of confidence after the first win and teams with confidence are better for sure. Even if you don’t have the best of games, victories are enough to give confidence to the players and team. I think we played a good game [against Odisha FC] and the guys performed well. For me, every game is hard,” Hyderabad head coach Manuel Marquez said ahead of the game.

Squads:

Bengaluru FC

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Lalthuammawia Ralte, Lara Sharma, Sharon

Defenders: Juanan, Rahul Bheke, Francisco Gonzalez, Ajith Kumar, Joe Zoherliana, Biswa Darjee, Namgyal Bhutia, Parag Srivas, Pratik Chaudhari, Wungngayam Muirang

Midfielders: Dimas Delgado, Erik Paartalu, Suresh Wangjam, Thoi Singh, Ajay Chhetri, Emanuel Lalchhanchhuaha, Amay Morajkar, Harmanjot Khabra, Cleiton Silva

Forwards: Sunil Chhetri, Kristian Opseth, Ashique Kuruniyan, Deshorn Brown, Udanta Singh, Edmund Lalrindika, Leon Augustin, Semboi Haokip, Naorem Singh

Hyderabad FC

Goalkeepers: Lalbiakhlua Jongte, Laxmikant Kattimani, Manas Dubey, Subrata Paul

Defenders: Akash Mishra, Asish Rai, Chinglensana Singh, Dimple Bhagat, Kynsailang Khongsit, Nikhil Prabhu, Odei Onaindia, Sahil Panwar

Midfielders: Abhishek Halder, Adil Khan, Sahil Tavora, Halicharan Narzary, Hitesh Sharma, Joao Victor, Laldanmawia Ralte, Lluis Sastre, Mark Zothanpuia, Mohammed Yasir, Nikhil Poojary, Souvik Chakrabarti, Sweden Fernandes

Forwards: Aridane Santana, Fran Sandaza, Ishan Dey, Joel Chianese, Lalawmpuia, Liston Colaco, Rohit Danu

Live Broadcast Schedule:

Hero ISL 2020-21 Match 9: Bengaluru FC vs Hyderabad FC

Date: November 28 (Saturday)

Time: 7:30 PM onwards

Channels: Star Sports Network

Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar and Jio TV